COVID-19’s rampage on the world’s population has had one profound effect that may begin to shift our global health and wellness mindset. If you have not read or watched a news article about the appalling increase in diabetes cases around the world, and how the huge majority of these cases are preventable by diet and lifestyle changes, here’s a recap.
- The number of people across the world with diabetes quadrupled from 1980 – 2014.
- As of 2019, it is estimated that just under 500 million people worldwide live with diabetes.
- At our current rate, the global diabetes population will increase 25% by 2030 and 50% by 2045.
- In the United States, by 2025, about 50% of the entire population will be either diabetic or pre-diabetic.
- Type II diabetes accounts for 90% – 95% of diabetic cases, and is largely a lifestyle and diet driven disease.
How Does Type II Diabetes Develop?
I’ve covered the role of diet & nutrition in developing Type II diabetes in multiple articles, as well as how COVID-19 has been particularly aggressive at causing severe symptoms among Type II diabetes sufferers.
We know that obesity and Type II diabetes are related. As people become more insulin resistant, and move from pre-diabetes to Type II diabetes, the correlation to those same people becoming obese is very strong. So not only have Type II diabetes sufferers been hit hard with COVID-19, but obese people with high BMI have suffered greatly as well. Dr. Berg also covers this in his video below:
Further Evidence on How to Reverse Type II Diabetes & Obesity
Two recent articles further support what we already know, which is a low-carb (ie, Ketogenic) diet can reverse the condition of Type II diabetes through natural behaviors. Think about that for a second. Imagine being able to eliminate taking insulin, reduce inflammation, improve cognitive clarity, reduce body fat & obesity & improve heart health, all through diet.
In the test highlighted within the link below, 57% of people who followed the low-carb diet had their Type II diabetes go into remission vs. only 31% of those who followed other dietary guidelines. They also lost more weight.
https://www.newsmax.com/health/health-news/low-carb-diet-diabetes-remission/2021/01/20/id/1006423/
The article also states some concerns about longevity, as after a year, the benefits realized by these patients had largely eroded. There are two likely drivers as to why:
- Once patients lost weight and found their blood glucose under control, they reverted back to previous dietary behaviors, which caused weight gain, inflammation & insulin resistance to reappear.
- The patients did not incorporate a critical component of healthy dietary behavior: intermittent fasting. In fact, the below article highlights (again) the power of intermittent fasting on healthy weight management.
The power of diet – food as healing fuel – is incredible. By paying attention to the big three: Quality, Quantity/Mix, and Frequency, we can naturally reverse debilitating disease like Type II diabetes, reverse obesity, better resist pathogens & viruses like COVID-19 and improve the quality of life of people across the world.
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